[<a href="//storify.com/cbccommunity/phrosties-hipsters-mourn-shutdown-of-instagram-bas" target="_blank">View the story "Phrosties: Hipsters mourn shutdown of Instagram-based alcoholic slushie delivery service" on Storify</a>]<h1>Phrosties: Hipsters mourn shutdown of Instagram-based alcoholic slushie delivery service</h1><h2>
</h2><p>Storified by <a href="https://storify.com/cbccommunity">CBC News Community</a>&middot; Fri, May 30 2014 22:47:55
</p><div>After long day of work. Thanks @phrosties wonderful drink - great service #phrostiesaudiosi</div><div>What's better than a cool, booze-filled slushie drink on a hot summer day in the city? Ordering a cool, booze-filled slushie drink <a href="http://www.swimmingly.com/relationships/summer/we-ordered-illegal-alcoholic-slushies-from-phrosties-and-barely-lived-to-tell-the-tale/" class="">through Instagram</a> and having it delivered to your doorstep, perhaps.<div><br>Phrosties, an anonymous alcoholic slushie delivery service based in New York City,&nbsp;has&nbsp;been fast working its way towards becoming the&nbsp;hottest drink provider of&nbsp;summer 2014 in recent months.</div><div><br></div><div>Served in flavours like&nbsp;Blue Hawaiian, Dragonberry Colada,&nbsp;Irish Bomb, and Hero, the&nbsp;colourful $10 /&nbsp;bottle libations would be ordered exclusively&nbsp;by texting a phone number listed on a private Instagram account.</div><div><br></div><div>Within hours, a delivery person would arrive&nbsp;with the sugary drinks, which have been described by&nbsp;<a href="http://nypost.com/2014/05/25/underground-booze-slushies-not-as-innocent-as-they-look/" class="">reviewers</a>&nbsp;as everything from&nbsp;"knock-you-out strong" to "Kool-Aid-meets-Red Bull, mixed with 150-proof Everclear."</div><div><br></div><div>"Phrosties are... a sight to behold: semi-frozen, technicolor concoctions of sugar, ice, food coloring, a lot --&nbsp;<i>a lot</i>&nbsp;-- of alcohol, and who knows what else, icy with a pastel ombre effect," <a href="http://www.grubstreet.com/2014/05/phrosties-come-and-get-em.html?mid=twitter_nymag" class="">wrote GrubStreet</a> in a review of the drink. "They are eminently Instagrammable, like avocado toasts for the Bushwick party set."</div></div><div>#phrostie #delivery #turndownforwhatKendra</div><div>Central Park Phrostie Sunday. #phrostie #hbd #nbdMaria Solorzano</div><div>Out w/ the #cronut, in w/ the #phrostie - w this everclear slushie sketchily delivered to your door- summers officially here and im still fat @katiezinman1farrink</div><div>Gon be a #phrostie summerOscar Brett</div><div>#phrostie hengeLuke C</div><div>#phrostievirgins #phrostie #tropical #indajungle #bushwick alimacadoodle</div><div>So shattered that these delightful bottles of phrosted slushy goodness are getting shut down. I'm travelling to NY in July and now I'll never get the pleasure of enjoying a Phrostie! #phrosties #ripphrosties #noooooooSΔRΔH JΔΠΣ</div><div><div><div>Unfortunately for the more than 17,000 thousand fans who followed the company on Instagram, the unregulated business -- which has <a href="http://gothamist.com/2014/05/27/rip_phrosties.php#." class="">been around since early this year</a>, but only&nbsp;started&nbsp;receiving&nbsp;media attention in May -- is no longer running.</div><div><br></div><div>Many are placing the blame squarely on Senator Chuck Schumer, who also <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/sen-schumer-fda-halt-approval-powdered-alcohol-article-1.1779364" class="">spoke out against the approval of powdered alcohol</a> (or&nbsp;"palcohol") &nbsp;earlier this month.<br></div></div><div><br></div><div>"A 12-year-old can probably buy these 'sloshies' online, get it and enjoy it because it's filled with fruit juice and fruit punch and all the things that taste sweet and nice,"&nbsp;said Schumer&nbsp;<a href="http://nypost.com/2014/05/26/schumer-wants-to-regulate-underground-booze-slushies/" class="">at a press conference in New York on Monday</a>.&nbsp;"A few weeks ago, I talked about powdered alcohol. I'm making an&nbsp;effort to prevent that from being sold. I would like to see the same thing happen to these 'sloshies' if they're not regulated."&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>According to <a href="http://nypost.com/2014/05/26/schumer-wants-to-regulate-underground-booze-slushies/" class="">The New York Post</a>, the drink company is already under investigation by the New York State Liquor Authority for being "unregulated and unlicensed," but Schumer -- who famously helped <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/loko-fire-sen-chuck-schumer-calls-new-york-ban-blackout-in-a-can-article-1.451459" class="">ban another cult alcoholic drink</a>, Four Loko, in 2010 --appears to be taking the brunt of the heat from Phrostie lovers online.</div></div><div>Chuck Schumer lost my vote with his War on Phrosties. Who cares if a 12-year-old can buy these 'sloshies?' #Phrosties #RIPPhrostiesIan MacAllen</div><div>CHUCK SCHUMER KILLED THE PHROSTIEDave Stopera</div><div>RIP, Phrosties: Chuck &quot;Buzzkill&quot; Schumer led a crack down on NYC's underground booze slushies http://t.co/UFAvWYQMXn http://t.co/amyViIFyhHVICE</div><div>Seems pretty clear that Sen. Schumer is running the Phrostie game and just threatened a crackdown to spike interestAnthony Alder</div><div>WHAT A BUZZ KILL. Sen. Chuck Schumer is trying to kill the Phrostie https://t.co/ZYQtrU03KP via @RebelmouseNah Baby Nah</div><div>According to VICE, the Liquor Authority's investigation, along with&nbsp;Schumer's remarks, have&nbsp;"scared the creators of Phrostie out of business, or at least driven them deeper underground."<div><br></div><div>The <a href="http://instagram.com/p/ofBq_DCTXS/" class="">Phrosties Instagram account</a> was scrubbed clean of almost every image Tuesday, its contact details replaced by the words "WE DO NOT DELIVER."</div><div><br></div><div>"It's a predictable end to New York's latest summer liquor fad," wrote VICE's Grace Wyler on Thursday. "For starters, Phrosties were never all that secret... The whole operation worked sort of like a drug deal, except none of the Phrostie purveyors seem particularly concerned about masking the exchange."</div><div><br></div><div>"The business existed under the radar for nearly a year," she continued,&nbsp;"But once the media caught on this spring, it wasn't hard for the Man to shut them down."</div><div><br></div><div>Despite <a href="http://www.refinery29.com/2014/05/68659/phrostie-diy-recipe" class="">several</a> <a href="http://www.dailydot.com/lifestyle/how-to-make-phrosties-diy-guide/" class="">sites</a>' attempts at recreating the Phrostie recipe, many around New York have taken to Twitter to mourn the original concoction using the hashtag #RIPPhrosties.</div></div><div>Here's what the Noisey editors listened to while mourning the loss of dear friend, phrosties: http://t.co/wTRTAIVGGv http://t.co/L6dusFy8pgNoisey</div><div>My name is Andy &quot;D&quot; and its been 1 week since i had a phrostie. :( #ripPhrostiesAndy D</div><div>I think I just want #phrosties for my birthdayMaura White</div><div>WIth the death of Phrosties, there's an opening in the marketplace for Glug...UneducatedJab</div><div>God is dead and his killer walks among us #RIPPhrostiesSadie Gennis</div><div>What are your thoughts on Phrosties? Would you order an unlicensed alcoholic beverage through Instagram? Weigh in below.</div>

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